Fresh Fruit Salad

May 3, 2021

Fruit salad is such a simple, colorful and appetizing dish. It is refreshing and full of antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients and can be one of healthiest “treats” around.

Unfortunately, many versions of fruit salad call for all of that beautiful fresh fruit to be coated in a sugary syrup, which transforms what could be a delicious and healthy treat into something that is not.

Fresh, ripe fruit does not need sugar added to it! In fact, I don’t think that it needs much of anything added to it at all, so if you are looking for a fresh, healthy treat that could definitely be enjoyed as a summertime dessert, try my simple fruit salad recipe and let this combination of fresh pineapple, kiwis, citrus and berries show how naturally sweet and delicious they really are.

Let’s get started…

This recipe is super simple. You are just going to use equal portions of pineapple, kiwi, grapes, clementines, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and golden berries. I have played around different combinations and this has been my favorite. The sweet and tart is well balanced, so no sugar is needed. The flavor of each fruit plays a role in the final product and they all bring some of their own health benefits to the party…

Pineapple – a good, ripe pineapple is fabulously sweet and will give off enough juice to lightly coat the entire bowl with its beautiful flavor. Pineapple is full of manganese and vitamin C, is good for digestion and contains antioxidants that can give our immune system a boost.
Kiwi – soft, ripe kiwis have a beautifully tangy flavor that works great in a fruit salad. Kiwis contain nearly 230% of the daily recommended dose of vitamin C, so they are a flavorful and healthy addition to your fruit salad. Green kiwis are more tart and golden kiwis are more on the sweet side, but both of them work great in this recipe!
Grapes – containing resveratrol, grapes are known to reduce inflammation and help protect against heart disease and diabetes. They are also super simple to toss into this fruit salad, either whole or sliced in half. Be sure to choose seedless grapes!
Clementines – usually the sweetest fruit in the citrus family, clementines are easy to peel and separate and are easy to find seedless too. They are full of beta carotene and fruit fiber, which serves are food for the good bacteria in your gut.
Blueberries – containing one of the highest amounts of antioxidants, blueberries are crammed full of nutrients we all need. They are low in calories, help protect our DNA and can help lower blood pressure, plus they are so tasty!
Strawberries – a juicy red strawberry is not just beautiful, it is incredibly delicious too. This is where a great majority of the sweetness in this fruit salad will come from, so choose really ripe strawberries. In addition to being naturally sweet, they help to increase our good cholesterol and lower blood pressure too.
Blackberries – depending on their level of ripeness, blackberries can be anywhere from really sweet to really tart, but they always seem to taste delicious. They are full of fiber and contain vitamin C and K, manganese and anti-inflammatory properties.
Raspberries – these beautiful berries add the perfect amount of natural sweetness to this fruit salad and they are full of antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients like magnesium, copper, iron and potassium.
Golden Berries – bright orange little berries that are sweet and a little tropical in flavor. They pair perfectly with pineapple and the other berries in this fruit salad. Golden berries also add beta carotene, vitamin K and calcium.

Combine equal parts of each fruit in a large bowl and toss them lightly until everything is evenly distributed.

At this point, the fruit salad is ready to go, but there are a few other things you can add in to bring additional flavors to the party. If you fruit was really ripe and sweet, a big squeeze of lemon or lime juice will help balance everything out. If you weren’t able to find super ripe fruit, adding a squeeze of fresh orange juice or honey will help bring out more of the natural sweetness.

Finally, if you want to add a fresh, herby note to your fruit salad, I love tossing in some thinly sliced fresh mint.

Whether you serve this fresh fruit salad along side some creamy greek yogurt, over a scoop of vanilla ice cream or enjoy it on its own, you are going to love its natural sweetness and balance.

A perfectly refreshing summertime dessert.

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